Interview

St Barth: State of our Oceans

For the future generations: the Territorial Environment Agency (ATE), a public and commercial establishment launched in 2013, is here to look after the conservation of St Barth and the ocean.

By LOÏC PINTO

Parley for the Oceans and Doug Aitken have partnered together to denounce the consequences of pollution on our coastline. With his Underwater Pavillion, the American artist is aiding the remarkable work of ATE (the Territorial Environment Agency), the environmental agency of St Barth, in order to raise awareness about environmental concerns among the island locals and communicate with the international community. Our landscape and seas is an environment that sparks hope. But it needs to be protected.

e new report, developed from decades of research, may strike concern in the heart of even the most optimistic people. One thing is for certain: human activity and our relationship with the oceans around the island are a ecting the ecosystem and change is needed. It appears than 67% of vertebrates have disappeared from the local ecosystem. e situation in the coral reef, a vital part of the wellbeing of submarine life, is reason for alarm. statement in the report that the local sh population is below the regional standards, including in the protected marine areas. It is rather the case that St Barth has a diverse and populated set of ecosystems. In 2015, more than 1069 aquatic species were inventoried, including 166 semi-aquatic species, 51 coral species (one of the richest sites in the Caribbean Sea) and 561 terrestrials (fundamental to St Barth in 2014). Our Caribbean gem su ers from some well known problems: urban sprawl, invasive species (goats, cats, striped lizards), pollution (plastic, chemicals, noise pollution), erosion, climate change, the collapse of the living environment, and the risks of over shing. Despite the measures taken on the island to preserve the ecosystems here, the situation is of serious concern for everyone.

Local participants campaiging and raising awareness on these key issues have already found positive approaches to our ecological problems. Although there are numerous local and international actors who strongly wish to derail these e orts, local government and regional organizations can play part

THE UNDER WATER PAVILIONS PROJECT With his submerged neo-futuristic structure, made of metal and mirror, American artist Doug Aitken invites us into an underwater immersion that is both surreal and committed. The Underwater Pavilion puts the spotlight on the abyss with the aim of raising public awareness of environmental issues. His work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions around the world, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Vienna Secession, the Serpentine Gallery in London and the Center Georges Pompidou in Paris. This ambitious project is part of a larger movement of the re-appropriation by art of fundamental questions of society. In this sense, the Underwater Pavillon stands in solidarity with the approach taken by the artists beyond traditional artistic means and ends, who seek to rede ne the question of values, whether they are aesthetic or ecological.

in maintaining biodiversity through initaitives supporting sustainable development and the protection of the coastline.

One of the most e ective examples of local change is without a doubt the nature reserve (25 this year), where the goal is to protect the local fauna and ora. In this area, access is limited to protect particularly endangered areas. Two great examples of how the reserve works are that it forbids access to the saline pond during turtle’s nest building , and boats are restricted from going near the islets to limit the impact on the coral.

Geographically, this zone of protection is spread around the island, covering an extensive area across Gros Ilets, Pain de Sucre, îles Fourchues, Frégate and Toc-Vers, Colombier Bay, Marigot, Petit et Grand Cul-de-Sac and Tortue. Besides this major protection role, the reserve also has as an objective to help animals and plants to heal, to index them all, and to make a census in order to keep a record of the population. e team working at the reserve also undertake repair missions (like on the dunes damaged by human activity), while also taking care of the coral and its inhabitants, making sure it can grow back.

ere are many participants working toward the preservation of our little paradise. Among them, we should rst mention SaintBarth Essentiel, created in June 2009, which notably promotes the idea that our culture, traditions and environment are a precious legacy, vital for future generations. Its range of activities covers two important domains. Firstly, taking care of St Barth’s historical and cultural inheritance through conservation work, and secondly the protection of the marine and terrestrial island environment. Practically, Saint Barth Essentiel studies and defends the local environment, protecting animal and vegetal species, ghting against pollution and broader nuisances such as sanitation problems. At last, the organisation takes care of engaging in judicial actions concerning the protection of nature, law enforcement, enforcing current regulations, and adaptating to the changing needs of the island.